England's day of destiny dawns

Inch by inch, yard by nail-biting yard, Michael Vaughan and his young team are crawling towards what, when this most tumultuous of all series began, was the unthinkable. Helped yesterday by a duvet of thick cloud that hovered over The Oval all day, reducing the light at times to sepulchral, they will resume this morning, in what promises to be better conditions, knowing that a solid, dedicated batting performance, without frill or frippery, will be sufficient to see the fifth and final Test to a draw and the Ashes secured.

This series, though, has seen so many twists and turns that the idea should be sold to Alton Towers and called Flintoff's Fury. It will not be over until it is and there is much work for England to do before the open-top bus can be dusted down for its ride through the city. Bad light prevented any play yesterday after around a quarter to four, with 54 overs lost. The sight of 23,000 spectators, some of whom have paid a small fortune for tickets, willing the players from the field, then offering a roar of approval and a standing ovation when they did go is one of sport's more bizarre images. By then Marcus Trescothick and Vaughan had taken England's second innings to 34 for one, Andrew Strauss having been caught at short-leg from Shane Warne's fourth ball, the 21st of the innings.

Remarkably, given the powerful position carved out for Australia by the centuries of Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, it gives England an overall lead of 40. Australia, circumstance forcing them to bat in poor light, had been bowled out for 367 by Andrew Flintoff's thunderbolts and the yeoman Matthew Hoggard's timely charge as he shouldered the responsibility of leading the attack.

Flintoff was formidable, bowling unchanged at great pace throughout the morning session and into the afternoon to add four more wickets to that of Ricky Ponting on the third evening, his first five-wicket haul against Australia at a time when the situation demanded and found a strong man. Hoggard, meanwhile, offered a reprise of his compelling bowling that helped to win Tests in Bridgetown and at The Wanderers, with a devastating spell of four for four in 19 balls, in addition to catches dropped at slip, by Flintoff of all people, and - oh, dear - by Geraint Jones. As the pair trudged happily from the field, with an arm round the shoulder of the other, it offered a reflection on the bowling of Steve Harmison, who, with the exception of one angry over to Langer on Saturday, in which he harassed and then dismissed the left-hander, has been lacklustre on a pitch that has suited him in the past and ought to have done so again. Vaughan afforded him only two overs yesterday and that was sufficient.

At what point, though, can England feel safe today given the expected decent weather? They will be playing on a pitch that has entered its fifth day and was, in any case, a day ahead in its preparation according to Strauss, the first innings centurion, so Warne can be expected to throw at England all the tricks he possesses in what for the last four matches, since Glenn McGrath trod on the ball and turned his ankle, has been virtual singlehanded pursuit of salvation for his side. But crucially he will be allowed the backing of McGrath and Brett Lee, who between them, and with the bit between their teeth, are capable of tearing England asunder. With so much at stake no batsman will feel totally at ease with his position.

The other point to ponder is just how many runs and at what rate would it be feasible for Australia to chase. These are fast-scoring times in any case, where four to five runs per over is becoming the norm in Test cricket. But should England bat until tea, taking perhaps 60 of the 98 overs remaining, then they ought to have a lead of around 230. Even then they might feel twitchy, despite the absence of the restrictions on fielding or the number of overs an individual can send down that pertain in one-day matches. There remains of course, the least likely but nonetheless tantalising thought that England might themselves win.

The change that came over the complexion of the game yesterday shot down in flames all the Saturday evening theories regarding Australia's strategy for securing the win that they require so desperately. Bat on was the thrust of the first, ensure a hefty lead and then place England under the sort of pressure that saw them to the brink of defeat in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge before they sneaked home. The second idea, more radical and taking no account of the potential for losing more time to the weather, had it that Ponting would actually get a bit closer to England, in double quick time, then declare behind, before letting Warne loose on a deflated side, with the failsafe of having some time at the end to chase down any slender target there might be. The scenario that no one had anticipated was that they might tend towards the latter course by virtue of losing their last seven wickets for 44 runs.

Flintoff and Hoggard seized the day for Vaughan, snatching the initiative from Australia that had been established by Langer's skilled, and for him, carefree hundred and Hayden's gritty grafted 138, an innings out of bully-boy character. At 277 for two overnight, a deficit of 96, small beer it seemed on this pitch, the bedrock was there for them but none was able to build on it further. Vaughan chose not to take the new ball immediately it became available, and it served him well, Flintoff pounding in from the pavilion end and forcing Damien Martyn to scoop inelegantly to square-leg. Flintoff's triumphant bull-bellow rent the air.

England had to wait for more than an hour before the key wicket fell, however, and once more it came from Flintoff, who found movement with the second new ball and caught Hayden half forward and, after almost seven hours at the crease, indisputably leg-before wicket, Simon Katich falling in similar fashion in Flintoff's next over.

By now Vaughan had settled on Hoggard rather than Harmison as the foil to Flintoff and he began to find the movement that is essential for his success, removing the greatest threat of a counterpunch when he had Adam Gilchrist lbw to an inswinger for the second time in two innings.

England had the sniff of a lead although Michael Clarke, given lives on three and 23 by Flintoff and Jones respectively, either side of lunch, was holding things together. Hoggard, though, caught Clarke in front to gain the fourth lbw decision of the day, leaving things open for himself and Flintoff to tidy up. If tail-end resistance has characterised the series, then not so yesterday: Warne was terrorised out by Flintoff, and Hoggard swept up McGrath and Lee, which was no less than he deserved.